Slavery in

the South3-4.2 Summarize the institution of slavery prior to the Civil War, including reference to:

The conditions in SC The invention of the cotton gin Expansion of Slavery Economic dependence on Slavery

Day 1:The Conditions in South CarolinaBefore the Civil War, the North and the South

were more different than alike.

The South’s warm climate was excellent for growing cash crops such as rice and cotton.

The Conditions in the North

The North also had farms and farmers, but its cooler climate was not good for growing these two cash crops- cotton and rice.

The North grew wheat and corn.

Different EconomiesThe North had an

economy with more manufacturing. Many

workers were employed in factories.

The South, on the other hand, had an economy based on farming.Big plantations needed the work of many people to

produce large cash crops.

Question Time!

1. How were the economies different in the North and the South?

2. Name one way the North and the South were alike.

Slavery Life

Video:

The Life of a Plantation Slave

2 minutes with a partner:

Discuss what you learned about the life of a plantation slave.

Slavery LifeRead the article entitled Slavery in the Slavery in

South Carolina Newspaper. Volume 9, Issue 2 Second Quarter Week 11

In your notebook:Cut and paste the article in your notebook.On the next page:Pretend you are a slave writing in your journal. Tell

about your work and feelings and how you live. Use facts from this week’s Studies Weekly to make your writing seem real.

Day 2:The Invention of the Cotton GinVideo:

The Layout of a Plantation

How did the Elite population live differently than the Enslaved African American population?

The Cash Crop of CottonAt this time, there were two main cash crops being grown in South

Carolina. RICE and COTTON

Cotton was a difficult crop to make into textiles, or clothing, because of the seeds in the cotton fibers.

Three inventions were made to help the cotton industry. By far, the most important invention was the cotton gin that was invented

by Eli Whitney in 1793. The cotton gin made it easier to pick the seed from the short boll cotton, which in turn helped make cotton a profitable cash crop for all parts of South Carolina.

Video: Slavery and the Revolution in Cloth-Making

Expansion of Slavery due to Cotton GinTrue or False: Using the cotton gin, it was faster to take the seed out of the boll,

so less slave labor was needed.

False!The cotton gin led to the expansion of slavery.

Planters soon increased profits by increasing the production of cotton which required more slave labor to plant, chop (hoe) and pick the cotton.

Planters bought additional slaves and were less likely to free any of their slaves, continuing the use of slavery.

The Invention of the Cotton GinRead the article entitled Demand in the Slavery in

South Carolina Newspaper. Volume 9, Issue 2 Second Quarter Week 11

In your notebook: Cut and paste the article in your notebook. On the next page: How did the invention of the cotton gin effect slavery

and South Carolina’s economy?

Day 3:Dependency on Slavery

Video:Southern Plantations and Farms: Slave Labor

As the cultivation of cotton grew, cotton became increasingly important to the economy of South Carolina and South Carolinians became increasingly dependent on slave labor.

Expansion of Slavery in All FarmsMany smaller independent farmers, because of increased profits

due to the cotton gin, also became slave owners.

Like the larger plantations, they too became dependent on the slaves to keep up the increased production of cotton on their farms. More slaves equaled more money, regardless of the size of the farm.

As a result of the increased production of cotton, cotton farmers sought more land farther west and the institution of slavery was spread with the cultivation of new cotton fields.

Activity

A huge wind storm has blown away the cotton in the fields.

What do you do?

How does this affect you?

Work with a partner:

Create a T-chart in your notebook. Describe how this event would affect you if you were part of the Elite or part of the Enslaved African Americans.

Day 4:Southern Way of Life

Create a flip chart for life before the Civil War: Life on a Plantation Life on a Small Farm Life in the City

Read pages 214-219 of your Social Studies textbook to help complete your flip chart.

Day 5:Abolitionist MovementSlavery was accepted by almost all South

Carolinians as their way of life, even though many South Carolinians did not own slaves.

Slavery was defended by the middle class, who hoped one day to be like the elites.

Slavery was defended by the lower class whites who, at the very least, felt superior to the enslaved African American.

Abolitionist MovementAbolitionist: people who worked to abolish, or end,

slavery

Abolitionist Movement: an era to outlaw slavery throughout the United States

Video: Abolitionists

Abolitionism in South CarolinaAbolitionism was seen by South Carolinians as a threat to their way of life.

Abolitionists spoke out against slavery in speeches and newspapers.

South Carolina refused to allow abolitionist newspapers to be mailed into the state. South Carolinians feared that abolitionists would foster

slave revolts and were, therefore, not welcome in the state.

South Carolina Speaks Out

South Carolinians who spoke out against slavery were often jailed and not accepted by members of society.

Some abolitionists, such as the Grimke sisters from Charleston who spoke out against slavery, were forced to leave South Carolina. Sarah Angelina

TDR Read Social Studies pages 230-231

Compare and Contrast: How did Sarah Grimke’s beliefs about slavery

differ from the beliefs of many Southerners in the early 1800s?

Read Freedom Quilt or Follow the Drinking Gourd

Underground RailroadAbolitionists also provided resting places for escaping

slaves along the Underground Railroad.

Underground Railroad in SC

Escaped slaves often continued their journey all the way to Canada because they were not safe from recapture in the North. Most Northerners were not abolitionists.

Slaves escaping South Carolina had a difficult time because the state was too far from the border with the North and even farther from Canada.

The abolitionist movement was effective in South Carolina only in making slave owners more determined to defend the right to own slaves.

Video: Underground Railroad

Follow the Drinking Gourd

Video: Slavery Discussion

In your notebook:

How did abolitionists feel about slavery compared to the ones who supported slavery?

Day 6:Slavery Allowed?The argument over slavery being legal reached

a climax as a result of a series of disagreements between the North and the South.

South Carolina was afraid that if more states joined the Union as free states, the slaves states would be outnumbered by the more populated free states in Congress.

State’s RightsStates' rights: the idea that each state had the right

to decide whether or not to obey national laws that they may agree or disagree with

John C. Calhoun thought of this idea. It does not conform to the intent of the Constitution of the United States however.

Video: John C. Calhoun

Abraham Lincoln Becomes President

Video: Abraham Lincoln Becomes President

When Abraham Lincoln won the election of 1860, South Carolinians were afraid that he would free their slaves.

However, Lincoln wanted to stop the spread of slavery - he was not an abolitionist.

Secession of South Carolina

Video: The Election of Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln did not advocate ending slavery in South Carolina and the rest of the South.

South Carolina and other southern states were attempting to hold on to a way of life that was based on slavery and defended their action with the argument of states' rights.

So they seceded from the Union in order to preserve their way of life.

Secession of South Carolina

Read the article entitled Secession in the Slavery in South Carolina Newspaper.

Volume 9, Issue 2 Second Quarter Week 12

In your notebook: Cut and paste the article in your notebook. On the next page: What were the reasons that South Carolina seceded

from the Union?